c3k

As a beta-tester, I'm ready to relate some gaming news: my wife has now totally blocked me out of the Bejeweled high score screen, with over a dozen million point games. My best is half that. "Incredible" 
 
 
 
 
Oh, you thought it'd be CM game related? Pesky ND...

There have been a lot of good points made in this thread. 
They're even better when they're kept at a civil level and the ad hominem vitriol is left out.
A game which causes emotional responses is a pretty good game, in my opinion. (Someone mentioned Bejeweled. Yeah, it pisses me off that my wife kicks my ass on that game.)
By definition, beta testers are fans of the game. We are tied to a non-disclosure agreement. That causes stress. I'd like to tell you more, but all I can do is play Bejeweled to vent...and that's not going as well as I'd like.
 

There have been a lot of good points made in this thread. 
They're even better when they're kept at a civil level and the ad hominem vitriol is left out.
A game which causes emotional responses is a pretty good game, in my opinion. (Someone mentioned Bejeweled. Yeah, it pisses me off that my wife kicks my ass on that game.)
By definition, beta testers are fans of the game. We are tied to a non-disclosure agreement. That causes stress. I'd like to tell you more, but all I can do is play Bejeweled to vent...and that's not going as well as I'd like.
 

There have been a lot of good points made in this thread. 
They're even better when they're kept at a civil level and the ad hominem vitriol is left out.
A game which causes emotional responses is a pretty good game, in my opinion. (Someone mentioned Bejeweled. Yeah, it pisses me off that my wife kicks my ass on that game.)
By definition, beta testers are fans of the game. We are tied to a non-disclosure agreement. That causes stress. I'd like to tell you more, but all I can do is play Bejeweled to vent...and that's not going as well as I'd like.
 

There have been a lot of good points made in this thread. 
They're even better when they're kept at a civil level and the ad hominem vitriol is left out.
A game which causes emotional responses is a pretty good game, in my opinion. (Someone mentioned Bejeweled. Yeah, it pisses me off that my wife kicks my ass on that game.)
By definition, beta testers are fans of the game. We are tied to a non-disclosure agreement. That causes stress. I'd like to tell you more, but all I can do is play Bejeweled to vent...and that's not going as well as I'd like.
 

There have been a lot of good points made in this thread. 
They're even better when they're kept at a civil level and the ad hominem vitriol is left out.
A game which causes emotional responses is a pretty good game, in my opinion. (Someone mentioned Bejeweled. Yeah, it pisses me off that my wife kicks my ass on that game.)
By definition, beta testers are fans of the game. We are tied to a non-disclosure agreement. That causes stress. I'd like to tell you more, but all I can do is play Bejeweled to vent...and that's not going as well as I'd like.
 

It's important not to paint Battlefront with the same brush as some of their more "dedicated" fans, because it isn't fair to Battlefront. These "super fans" take any criticism of the game, or even sometimes bug reports, as personal attacks. You'll see their kind in any sort of niche community, it's best to ignore them.  

- There has been a very long wait for v4.0 patch
- Pre-orders were made with an expectation that a new game would be available by the end of September
- BFC is famous for not communicating about plans and release dates
Given the above, yes, I agree that there is plenty of ground for legitimate frustration. In my dream world, some sort of polished PR-type would be posting weekly updates.
As to v4.0, Occum's Razor applies: if it were simple, it would've already been released. Is it frustrating to have some egregious TacAI behavior problems in v3.12? Yes. If v4.0 were ready, you'd have it. Or, would you rather have a version which needs another (long-delayed) patch? I don't think substituting a "bad" version with another "bad" version is the way to go. 
Pre-orders have a bit of a quid pro quo: you pay less, but sooner, with no product in hand. Well, that's still the case.
As for BFC's communications, let's look at what has happened. BFC communicated an expected release date...and missed it. Now, expectations are dashed and there is (righteous) anger. If they had never communicated an expected release date, this would not have happened. Hence, why BFC does not communicate plans and release dates.

That is a wonderful description of how well this game replicates tactical outcomes. Sometimes, it sucks. This obviously impacted you. That is a role of modern entertainment. You'll remember this particular battle for a very long time. The cool thing? That you kept at it...and finally got to the (miserable) end. Not every battle ends in victory.
This game produced a memorable event. THAT is impressive. 

My bold. Yeah, I'd say a lot. No, I won't be pinned down to a percentage! As to the "not at all" (re-pre-order, if that's a word), well, c'mon: this is Combat Mission. You'll do it. You may grumble, but you'll do it.
FWIW, I don't commit money to pre-order...ever.  But, that's only because I got burned in the past. (See "Trespasser", an early computer game loosely based on Jurassic Park. Yeah...never again will I order after I got that p.o.s.) There's a boardgame company which lets you pre-order, but they do not bill you until the game is about to ship. As in a day or two prior, if that early.
However, BFC has an ironclad reputation for delivering... It's just that they also have a reputation of taking longer than a lot of folks would like. This is a case in point.

- There has been a very long wait for v4.0 patch
- Pre-orders were made with an expectation that a new game would be available by the end of September
- BFC is famous for not communicating about plans and release dates
Given the above, yes, I agree that there is plenty of ground for legitimate frustration. In my dream world, some sort of polished PR-type would be posting weekly updates.
As to v4.0, Occum's Razor applies: if it were simple, it would've already been released. Is it frustrating to have some egregious TacAI behavior problems in v3.12? Yes. If v4.0 were ready, you'd have it. Or, would you rather have a version which needs another (long-delayed) patch? I don't think substituting a "bad" version with another "bad" version is the way to go. 
Pre-orders have a bit of a quid pro quo: you pay less, but sooner, with no product in hand. Well, that's still the case.
As for BFC's communications, let's look at what has happened. BFC communicated an expected release date...and missed it. Now, expectations are dashed and there is (righteous) anger. If they had never communicated an expected release date, this would not have happened. Hence, why BFC does not communicate plans and release dates.

I recall one scenario where my pixeltruppen were repeatedly hit with mortar strikes over the course of the most miserable hour I have probably ever experienced in any "game".
Every single time I would gather up my shattered troops & think to myself "well at least there'll be no more mortars"... at which point my newly concentrated troops would get hit again by a new round of mortar strikes.
Eventually, after losing a **** load of my men crossing a bridge & getting hit by hidden machine guns, I managed to outflank the enemy position & launch my final assault.
The few remaining men, backed up with the last of my tanks, managed to capture a decent chunk of the enemy hill before the shear impossibility of the task I had set them broke them & they fled back off the hill.
At that point, my handful of wounded, shell shocked survivors were greeted with the news that they had apparently won a "TOTAL VICTORY".
As I surveyed the bloody & burnt mess that this disgusting game had resulted in I felt no joy, not one bit of joy at all, in the misery of my "victory".
 
 
 

Aloha troops,
I understand the frustration on delays and also the arguments regarding customer service and business practice. But for what it is worth here is how I try to look at it.
BF games are niche.  BF games are boutique.  BF games are possibly the boutique-iest niche-iest boutique niche in the market.  But they are my market niche, our market niche, and we need to recognise how unique and invaluable this product legacy is.
BF are clearly a very small group of dedicated people who develop - and keep alive - a legacy of simulated combat realism that we love.  I feel lucky this still exists in the current retail environment.  I'd suggest it is only through the personal passion and effort of a small number of people that we still have these lovely toys.
So when I get frustrated about delays and perceptions on customer service I recognise that if pure market forces and cold business decisions were at work we'd likely not have anything like the BF games we do have.  Personally, I like to support the BF crew for this reason alone.  Indeed I wonder how else I can help these folks so we have these much loved toys going forward?
So there is one way you might think about it.  And if you agree there is some merit in this possibly overly soppy rant maybe not only stump up your $ to keep the devs alive but also tone back the criticism if only to be a bit nicer to those slaving away on our precious toys?
Now.  Where is that CMSF2 Demo refresh button?!?
.o7
NB: for the record I don't know the devs at all
 
 
 
 

After about 3 hours of gameplay, you'll have a very good skill set for using the UI. It is different than other games and you'll have a choice of HOW to play: wego or realtime are the biggest choices. 
Look around at some of the tutorials. A lot of good info is out there...

This is not a pixeltruppen planning problem. It is, instead, the implementation of the pixeltruppen peeing procedure.
See, after a long ride in a halftrack, with bullets pinging off the armor, and poor Hans getting nailed while manning the machinegun, every pixeltruppen was imbued with the need to urgently urinate. So, they hopped out and peed. Of course, with your gridded terrain mod, you've blocked the "yellow snow" terrain change. (This is somewhat related to the "browning of the shorts" mod when your troops' morale plummets.)
As soon as their bladders are emptied, they'll charge forth. Give 'em a moment.
 

This is not a pixeltruppen planning problem. It is, instead, the implementation of the pixeltruppen peeing procedure.
See, after a long ride in a halftrack, with bullets pinging off the armor, and poor Hans getting nailed while manning the machinegun, every pixeltruppen was imbued with the need to urgently urinate. So, they hopped out and peed. Of course, with your gridded terrain mod, you've blocked the "yellow snow" terrain change. (This is somewhat related to the "browning of the shorts" mod when your troops' morale plummets.)
As soon as their bladders are emptied, they'll charge forth. Give 'em a moment.
 

And, don't forget, you can MODIFY the (excruciatingly detailed and mind-bogglingly accurate) force structure. How much can you modify it? To your heart's content.
This ability is akin to giving the average user some sort of super-power. Like shapeshifting. Or communicating with fish. Or something. Buy the game; become a super-hero. (Or, in sburke's case, a super-villain.) 
 

This (the bolded part).
I am still amazed, going through the beta testing process, how much gameplay is contained in CMSF. 
I will add, scenario/campaign design has come a loooooong way since CMSF.

Indeed sburke in essence your impressions correct but excluding the "hop in hop out" as Erwin states. Here's the example (using units I am more familiar with though) about the manner in which I envision acquiring from vehicles could work compared to the current system. Do not take the distances/terrain/times shown in the screenshots as gospel of course. Also to note that acquire could continue to work in the exact same manner as current system with regards to units that are inside the vehicles already. This is instead concerning acquiring from vehicles when the units are not inside them already.
So in this example I have an five man pioneer section that I have rotated out from the front and need to obtain them more ammo from an carrier before sending them to the front again. The carriers are from an carrier section and have their crews mounted in them, so there are just four passenger seats remaining. Pictures might paint a thousand words about how I envision a alternate system, maybe a million words in the case of my unintelligent writings.







Using the current system, to restock the same section from the carriers at any point after the scenario begins the user would need over separate order phases to;
Order to disembark the carrier section from the carrier. Order to embark the pioneer section to the carrier. Order to acquire the ammo. Order to disembark the pioneer section from the carrier. Order to embark the carrier section to the carrier again. So in another example I have on the frontlines an rifle section and light mortar team from an platoon. I cannot rotate either out into the rear at the moment but need to obtain some more PIAT projectiles and small arms ammo for the section from one carrier. I also need to obtain some bombs for the mortar from another carrier, but am content for these to be shared with the mortar team rather than obtained by them. As I cannot rotate everyone out at the moment I decide to obtain the ammo using an detachment from the section.


Using the current system, to restock them from the two carriers in the same manner the user would need over separate order phases to;
Create the section detachment. Order to embark the section detachment to the first carrier. Order to acquire the ammo. Order to disembark the section detachment from the first carrier. Order to embark the section detachment to the second carrier. Order to acquire the ammo. Order to disembark (and recombine) the section detachment from the second carrier. Another example being having multiple units (pioneer section and some rifle section again) and needing to resupply them from the same carrier at the same time. They have both already been rotated out from the front so moving the entire sections to the resupply should be alright.





Using the current system, to restock both from the carrier in the same manner the user would need over separate order phases to;
Order to disembark the carrier section from the carrier. Order to embark the pioneer section to the carrier. Order to acquire the ammo. Order to disembark the pioneer section from the carrier. Create the section detachment. Order to embark the section detachment to the carrier. Order to acquire the ammo. Order to disembark (and recombine) the section detachment from the carrier. Order to embark the carrier section to the carrier again. So yeah the main difference would be that there would not be any need for units to actually have to embark the vehicles in order to acquire some ammo from them. So no having to disembark any other already mounted units/crew just to enable the resupply. So no having to create/recombine any detachments units just to enable the resupply (you could continue to use detachments but that would be an tactical choice rather than an requirement). Units no matter their size should be able to supply from any vehicle no matter the number of passenger seats that vehicle has. Also as your not embarking the resupplying can be chained with various other commands even another resupply at another vehicle etc.
Another difference would be in the time it takes to supply your units. Rather than being based upon how many full turns are required to embark and disembark and etc into various vehicles. The time taken would instead be being based upon what items you are actually trying to obtain from them. For example obtaining 2000 x 0.303 MKVII, 500 x 0.45 ACP, 9 x PIAT HEAT would no longer take the same time as obtaining just 5 x PIAT HEAT. Has anyone else also had the situation where the embarking unit are mid-embark at the end of the turn and are therefore required to wait another turn for them to be fully embarked before acquiring?
Hopefully that describes to you what I mean. Something like this would instead mean that it's just the "which vehicles and what ammunition to acquire" that we would need to micro manage over upon during an single orders phase (as it should be). The rest we entrust to the units to carry out over the next various turns until the tasks complete. But within current system as well as micro managing the "which vehicles and what ammunition to acquire" we also are required to micro manage and baby the units each separate turn through embarking, acquiring, disembarking etc. And it's that last past that I reckon no-one feels the need to want to micro manage over.

But all of those factors are controlled by the settings in the editor. If you want your stragglers to be low on ammo or exhausted then tweak the settings. 

One word: Star Citizen.
As far as CMSF2, well, I know I've been busy. I can't say on what, exactly. But, there is a possibility that I've found a bug...a crushing bug...and that I've nurtured it, sequestered it, and kept it away from BFC's prying eyes. The day Steve announces on the internal private channels that CMSF2 is about to go live the next day...I may reveal this bug. The delay will be...delicious.
Bwah.
Bwah, hah.
Bwah, hah, hah!!!!
(These are the things that amuse me. )
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
C'mon: it -was- kinda funny.

Well, after some trials and tribulations I have successfully modded another Independent building.
It's a whitewashed and weathered barn, suitable for most periods of CM. 
The Town of
Маленький Mayhem
Malenʹkyy Mayhem
is on its way, rather slowly, but I think it will now move foward. 
BTW should I zip it to send it to the two game repositories?  As it is an extra building, not a replacement for existing ones it can be used immediately.

One word: Star Citizen.
As far as CMSF2, well, I know I've been busy. I can't say on what, exactly. But, there is a possibility that I've found a bug...a crushing bug...and that I've nurtured it, sequestered it, and kept it away from BFC's prying eyes. The day Steve announces on the internal private channels that CMSF2 is about to go live the next day...I may reveal this bug. The delay will be...delicious.
Bwah.
Bwah, hah.
Bwah, hah, hah!!!!
(These are the things that amuse me. )
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
C'mon: it -was- kinda funny.

One word: Star Citizen.
As far as CMSF2, well, I know I've been busy. I can't say on what, exactly. But, there is a possibility that I've found a bug...a crushing bug...and that I've nurtured it, sequestered it, and kept it away from BFC's prying eyes. The day Steve announces on the internal private channels that CMSF2 is about to go live the next day...I may reveal this bug. The delay will be...delicious.
Bwah.
Bwah, hah.
Bwah, hah, hah!!!!
(These are the things that amuse me. )
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
C'mon: it -was- kinda funny.

One word: Star Citizen.
As far as CMSF2, well, I know I've been busy. I can't say on what, exactly. But, there is a possibility that I've found a bug...a crushing bug...and that I've nurtured it, sequestered it, and kept it away from BFC's prying eyes. The day Steve announces on the internal private channels that CMSF2 is about to go live the next day...I may reveal this bug. The delay will be...delicious.
Bwah.
Bwah, hah.
Bwah, hah, hah!!!!
(These are the things that amuse me. )
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
C'mon: it -was- kinda funny.